Military Aviation News Archive
04/10/2024
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) will deploy a fighter plane to participate for the first time in Australia’s large-scale multilateral air combat exercise this year. PAF spokesperson Col. Maria Consuelo Castillo on Tuesday said that the Philippines will send an FA-50 light fighter aircraft for Australia’s Pitch Black Exercise in August.
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04/10/2024
The Air Force is betting a large part of its future air warfare on a fleet more than 1,000 autonomously operated drones, and later this spring its top civilian leader plans to climb into one of those artificial intelligence-operated warplanes and let it take him airborne. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told senators on Tuesday at a hearing on the service’s 2025 budget that he will enter the cockpit of one of the F-16s that the service has converted for drone flight to see for himself how it
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04/09/2024
It is noted that the Greek government plans to sell 108 fighter jets that are currently subject to decommissioning. In particular, the conversation is about 32 units of F-16C/-D Block 30. In July 2022, Greece began the procedure for selling the jet fighters and related equipment (spare parts, simulators, devices, materials), the value of which was estimated at €117M.The sale did not occur, and the aircrafts’ condition in open storage constantly deteriorated.
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04/09/2024
Japan has announced it has completed the first phase of modifying one of its helicopter carriers for F-35 operations. The Izumo-class destroyer Kaga's revamped flight deck will be able to support F-35B fighter jet take-offs and landings.
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04/09/2024
Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic is set to visit France on April 8 and 9, 2024, to discuss, among other topics, the acquisition of Rafale fighter jets. During his two-day visit, President Vucic plans to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and later French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu. The agenda of the discussions will include the potential purchase of 12 Rafale fighter jets from Dassault Aviation.
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04/08/2024
The IAF conducted two major wargames in 2024, which will be followed by a multinational exercise, ‘Tarang Shakti,’ the first to be held in India. The rise of an assertive China has brought together like-minded countries to pursue greater military cooperation. India, which has been embroiled in a standoff with China since 2020, has increased air exercises with foreign countries.
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04/08/2024
The German Air Force scrambled their fighter jets over the Baltic Sea on Saturday to intercept a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft. The German aircraft were forced to take off from the base in Lielvarde, Latvia. "Our European fighter jets from VAPB took off from Lielvarde today on a defensive mission to intercept a Russian Il-20 over the Baltic Sea, which was flying without a transponder," the statement reads.
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04/07/2024
The F-16 Fighting Falcon, one of the most prolific fourth-generation fighters, continues to dominate the skies thanks to significant upgrades ensuring its relevance in modern warfare. Since its debut in 1978, the Falcon has been a staple in global conflicts, operated by the U.S. Air Force and 26 other nations.
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04/07/2024
The F-35 Lightning II, an emblem of American aeronautical prowess, represents the pinnacle of fifth-generation fighter technology, amassing over 773,000 flight hours and serving 20 nations worldwide. This fighter jet, known for its stealth capabilities, is critical amidst rising tensions in regions like the South China Sea and Eastern Europe, ensuring survivability against advanced air-defense systems.
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04/07/2024
As part of the program to purchase 22 F-5 Tiger fighters from Switzerland by the United States Marine Corps (USMC), the first aircraft arrived in the USA at the end of last March. More precisely, it arrived at the facilities of the Cecil Field Tactical Air Support Plant, located in Jacksonville, Florida, to undergo the second phase of the ARTEMIS program and subsequently join the force’s aggressor fleet to strengthen the dissimilar training capabilities of new pilots.
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04/06/2024
Abhijit Lyer-Mitra, a researcher with the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, claimed the J-20 could lose 60-70 percent of its power, notably takeoff weight and payload capacity. Lyer-Mitra’s data reportedly found the J-20 may have performance issues at higher altitudes, possibly due to thinner air reducing the thrust put out by engines, leading to a loss of power.
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04/06/2024
On May 15, 1984 the AMX 'Ghibli' made its first flight, after only three years of development. It will soon be 40 years. The Ghibli, known as Falcão in Brazil, was a design by AMX International, a company formed by the Italian firms Aeritalia and Aermacchi and the Brazilian firm Embraer. This aircraft emerged to replace the old Fiat G.91 and F-104 Starfighter as a light fighter and attack aircraft.
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04/06/2024
The Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program seeks to field unmanned systems to distribute airpower and create dilemmas for adversaries. That will require developing platforms that reduce the human burden in the air and on the ground, Air Force officials and experts say.
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04/06/2024
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives evaluated a series of notifications during the month of February proposing the transfer of 65 F-16A/B Fighting Falcon MLU fighter jets from Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands to Ukraine. Despite the mentioned countries expressing their intention to donate the aircraft, the estimated cost of the initiatives amounts to USD 1.683.5 billion, including spare engines, simulators, manuals, tools, and various materials.
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04/06/2024
Ukraine has carried out a drone attack against targets in southern Russia and claims to have destroyed six Russian planes at an airbase in Rostov region. Security sources told BBC Ukrainian eight more aircraft were badly damaged, while 20 service personnel could have been killed or injured. The Morozovsk base houses Su-27 and Su-34 aircraft used on the front line in Ukraine, the sources said.
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04/04/2024
The Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) has offered the sale of the FA-50 light fighter aircraft to the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), as it plans to spend 519 million USD (19 billion Baht) in the next fiscal year to acquire new fighter aircraft based on claims from the Thai Defense Ministry.
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04/04/2024
Lockheed Martin's proposal to relocate F-16 production lines to India, in collaboration with Tata, illustrates a keen strategy to win over India's lucrative aviation contract, potentially shifting the balance of military airpower in the region. The F-21, boasting upgraded mission computers, avionics, and enhanced communication systems, represents not just a technological leap but a strategic advantage in India's quest to counterbalance Chinese influence.
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04/04/2024
The MiG-21, developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich in 1955, stands as a testament to Cold War-era engineering and military strategy. Serving in over 50 countries, this supersonic fighter-interceptor was the most ubiquitous warplane of its time. Despite its simplicity, the MiG-21 was highly effective, notably during the Vietnam War, where it became a formidable adversary to American forces.
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04/04/2024
The Russians are painting images of combat aircraft directly on the runway at air bases inside occupied Ukraine in an apparent attempt to throw off targeting efforts. Moscow has been forced to implement several such decoy attempts as a result of continued successful Ukrainian strikes on Russian military locations, British officials said.
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04/04/2024
The US Navy and Air Force will start cooperative fighter pilot training this year under the US Department of Defense’s Joint Simulation Environment. The joint agreement is being managed by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) in Patuxent River, Maryland, which began by incorporating eight F-35 Lightning II simulation cockpits.
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04/03/2024
Once forbidden to fly in lightning and thunderstorms, the conventional take-off and landing variant of the F-35 Lightning II aircraft, operated by the US Air Force, has reportedly been cleared to fly near storms. Until now, the F-35A Lightning II, operated by the US Air Force, was prohibited from flying within 25 miles of lightning. However, the F-35Cs used for carrier operations by the Navy and the F-35Bs used by the Marines were exempted from the ban.
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04/03/2024
In a continued demonstration of commitment to NATO’s eastern defenses, four F-35 fighters from the United States Air Force have been dispatched to Poland. This move is part of a strategy to ensure a persistent American military presence in the region. This initiative began in 2022 following Russia’s intensification of hostilities in Ukraine.
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04/03/2024
The U.S. Air Force recently completed Initial Operational Test & Evaluation (IOT&E) of the Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS), validating the game-changing capabilities BAE Systems’ advanced system brings to the F-15. EPAWSS provides critical electronic warfare (EW) capabilities for the F-15E Strike Eagle and F-15EX Eagle II aircraft.
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04/03/2024
The first three F-16 Fighting Falcons that will be loaded with self-flying technology have arrived at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, the Air Force said Tuesday. The arrival of the F-16s marks the service’s biggest step forward yet in standing up the program known as Venom, which stands for Viper Experimentation and Next-gen Operations Model-Autonomy Flying Testbed and aims to speed up the testing of autonomous technology on both crewed and uncrewed aircraft.
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04/02/2024
The Sukhoi Su-35 is a single-seat, twin-engine air superiority fighter. Designed as an improved variant of the Su-27, it is a supermaneuverable jet that was first introduced in 2014. The jet relies on two Saturn AL-41F1S turbofan engines, producing 30,900 pounds of thrust each, with the afterburner engaged. The Su-35 can reach a maximum speed of Mach 2.25.
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